Arlington Partners LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Arlington Partners LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 17,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,513 shares during the quarter. Arlington Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after acquiring an additional 18,786 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $11,998,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,257,000 after buying an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 59,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,481,000 after buying an additional 5,006 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE BDX traded down $2.98 on Monday, hitting $240.77. 134,411 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,388,031. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $262.23. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $237.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $69.58 billion, a PE ratio of 53.69, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.